Ex-CIA Chiefs Decry Interrogation Probe

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," September 18, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, HOST: In August, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that he would be reopening the criminal investigation into CIA interrogations and interrogators who questioned suspected terrorists in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

Now that decision prompted seven former CIA directors to send a letter to President Obama today asking him to reverse the attorney general's decision. Now the letter reads in part, quote: "Those men and women who undertake difficult intelligence assignments in the aftermath of an attack such as September 11th must believe there is permanence in the legal rules that govern their actions."

It goes on to say the attorney general's decision will, quote, "seriously damage the willingness of many other intelligence officers to take risks to protect the country."

Very powerful statement from seven former heads of the CIA. Joining me with reaction is the former governor of the great state of Arkansas, host of "Huckabee" here on the FOX News Channel, reaction?

MIKE HUCKABEE, HOST, "HUCKABEE": Well, I think it's very significant when you have seven CIA heads over a tenure of some 35 years who join together in saying, look, this is dangerous for America. This is not about politics. There are some things that you can play games with.

You can play games to some degree with spending and with details of Medicaid programs, though it will affect people's lives. This affects the safety and security of every citizen of the United States...

(CROSSTALK)

HANNITY: If I was a CIA director — you know, intelligence officer, why would I undertake a risky operation? You wouldn't do it anymore.

HUCKABEE: You would not do it. And I have friends who are in the agency. I had people who I know that worked with me during the campaign, military intelligence people, and they tell me the morale has never been lower in the CIA.

And these are people that are basically saying, look, I'm not going to — I'm not going to do anything because I don't want to be criminally held liable for doing the job that I was ordered to do.

HANNITY: I have been saying and trying to sound the call — and I know we're talking about the economy and ACORN — and we're going to list some of the extremists in Obama's administration, that's coming up, we're have a special investigation tonight.

But I think what happened yesterday with the president announcing we're no longer installing this missile system in Poland and in the Czech Republic, is one of the single worst decisions for national security and world security that any president can make.

HUCKABEE: And it's not so much about the missiles themselves, because you're going to hear people say well, those missiles are not really the necessary tool, they are obsolete. But here's what happened. We gave up something and we got nothing. This is the same failed strategy that we've been pushing on the Israelis, give up land, we'll give you some peace.

HANNITY: You'll get peace.

HUCKABEE: And you end up with neither land nor peace. And things are more, frankly, tumultuous than they've ever been.

HANNITY: But from Mirandizing, you know, enemy combatants on the battlefield to closing down Gitmo to cutting defense at a time when they're spending money on everything else.

HUCKABEE: Sending suspected the terrorists like rock stars to Bermuda.

HANNITY: To Bermuda.

HUCKABEE: Yes, let them.

HANNITY: Beachfront resorts.

HUCKABEE: Do you need some Coppertone? We'll get you a good supply. We want to let you work on your tan, have a Mai Tai.

HANNITY: I mean, it's a joke but I mean, I really fear that he doesn't get it on national defense. That this president is an appeaser. I think this president is weak. I think this president is creating a vulnerability for this country. And I think if this country is attacked, I am putting the blame squarely at the decisions he is making now in terms of weakening our defenses.

HUCKABEE: We are in a vulnerable position in part because we're showing that we are willing to appease those...

HANNITY: Weakness.

HUCKABEE: ...who will not respect that. There is one thing that people respect and that is when they fear you. And we're not feared right now. What we've done is I think especially, especially horrible that it happened on the 70th anniversary of the invasion of Poland by the Russians.

Now think how incredibly boneheaded that was on the part of somebody within this administration that they didn't just a little history on that.

HANNITY: No, this is the president.

All right. What did you think of Jimmy Carter's remarks and Nancy Pelosi's remarks?

HUCKABEE: Well, I think in both cases they were absolutely over the top partisan — that you know, when Nancy Pelosi was talking about the violence, I'm thinking, OK, let's see, we had somebody have their finger bitten off — oh, that was a left-winger biter. And then we had.

HANNITY: A left-winger biter?

HUCKABEE: Yes, a biter from the left.

(LAUGHTER)

HUCKABEE: And you know, then we had the horrible cold-blooded murder of the pro-life activist James Pouillon.

HANNITY: But compare that to Tiller — that guy, what's his name, Tiller.

HUCKABEE: Oh, he was treated as if, you know, he was a hero.

HANNITY: No, no, no, the news coverage, I'm saying.

HUCKABEE: That's what I'm saying, he was treated with an extraordinary sense of respect and honor. And it was — Obama made personal statements about it. We did not get the same kind of treatment for the pro-life person.

Jimmy Carter's statements, again, totally inappropriate. And I want to make very clear, Sean, I think it's absurd and it's an insult to President Obama to say that if you disagree with him it's about his race. That's an insult to him.

HANNITY: Well he has come out today, he says he does not think race is the main factor for driving the angry criticism. But I guess does that mean that he thinks it is a factor? Maybe we'll find out as he does 14 shows this weekend.

HUCKABEE: Race will always be a factor with some people on all sides, but it's not the big thing.

HANNITY: Last question, I want to get in a question about health care. The president, every time he speaks, the numbers go down. Approval for his health care is at its lowest number ever. He's going to do, what, five or six shows this weekend. I don't think it's going to help. My question is...

HUCKABEE: Oh, it's only going to go down more.

HANNITY: ...the Democrats you have, you know, Rockefeller is fighting, you know, Baucus, Baucus has no support. There's no Republican on board. You've got Democrats saying either a government option is there or we don't support it. Some saying if it's in there we don't support it. What's going to happen?

HUCKABEE: Well, we actually do have now a bipartisan bill that Senator Baucus has put forth. It's bipartisan in that both parties equally hate it. Nobody likes it. So it's the closest thing to bipartisanship we've had.

HANNITY: Well said. All right. Good to see you, Governor.

HUCKABEE: Great to see you.

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